Illegal SE Asian Logging Supplying Flooring For US @ Lowe's, Home Depot

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A variety of hardwood threatened in Southeast Asia is showing up in flooring in the United States, where manufacturers, distributors and retailers are failing to ensure the wood's legal origin, the Environmental Investigation Agency said in a report released today. Flooring made from merbau, a dark, luxurious red wood found mostly in Indonesia but also elsewhere in Southeast Asia, is being sold in U.S. home-improvement stores, according to the nonprofit agency, based in London and Washington.

"Deep red, orange, and brown hues accentuate the exotic beauty of this tropical treasure from Indonesia," read the text on a merbau display at Lowe's in New Carrollton, Md., an agency investigator said. A similar display of "valuable, exotic" merbau was seen at The Home Depot in Washington, D.C. Representatives of U.S. retail stores said the vast majority of their wood comes from North America, where there is no problem verifying the product's origin.

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"There is no indication that any of these companies have broken any law — nor is there evidence that they are fully aware of the potential origin of the wood they are supplying," the report stated. "But our investigations have shown that ... these companies have no idea precisely where most of the merbau wood used in their flooring comes from — nor have they made much effort to find out."

Armstrong, Lowe's and Home Depot disputed the agency's assertions. In a telephone interview, an Armstrong executive said the company insists suppliers sign contracts to provide wood products only in accordance with local government rules and regulations and must provide "chain of custody" documents indicating the material's source.

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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002880834_indocut22.html?syndication=rss